Some songs to reflect our current feelings of Independence

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, when we traditionally celebrate the birth of our nation and while I am proud to be an American, it pains me to admit that those feelings have been harder to maintain for awhile now.

Don't worry, I'm not about to go off on a big political rant here. However, I try to be a pop culture observer and for this particular moment in time, I feel that the best way to express my inner angst about the state of things is through that spectrum.

Since music is a major part of the Independence Day holiday, I found a few songs that I think best capture the turmoil that we're all experiencing these days that also encourage us to hold fast amidst the various storms being sent our way:

HAMILTON MEDLEY: Who better than one of our original Founding Fathers to give us inspiration at a time like this? Lin-Manuel Miranda's brilliant historical musical teaches us many things about the beginnings of our country and of the follies of human nature as well. This reenactment of two songs from that award winning show reminds everyone to not just sit back and to not give away our best shot at making things right:

MORE HAMILTON THOUGHTS: This musical has inspired many to read,think and challenge the status quo and that includes the Hamilton Mixtape, where one of the best songs points out how foolish it is to discount our immigrant population and heartlessly cruel to persecute them as we have been lately:

EVERYBODY GOES TO RICK'S: There's a classic musical stand-off in the film Casablanca, where the local German forces are loudly singing their anthem at the nightclub, much to the chagrin of the crowd, many of whom had to flee their homelands due to the invading Nazi regime.

With a quiet nod of approval from Rick and an open show of defiance from rebel leader Victor Lazlo, the house band strikes up a rousing rendition of La Marseillaise that gets the oppressed audience up on their feet. For those who insist that confronting evil in public is not "nice", this shows how that can be done with true elegance and sincere belief that negates their sad stance:

 HEAR THE PEOPLE SING: I have to tell you that with all of the news getting worse and worse these days, songs from the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical Les Miserables have been on my playlist quite a bit lately.

Yes, it's French but France has always been a good ally to America, from our own Revolutionary War to WWII and beyond. Granted, I'm more into English literature but I did read the Victor Hugo novel and can appreciate the contributions that France has given to the world in the terms of promoting freedom.

Not to mention that this story has lasted for nearly two hundred years for good reason and some of those life and history lessons in song are well worth listening to,especially today:

I hope that by this time next year, the country is in a way better place, emotionally and politically, than we are right now. We can all do our part to make that happen, even if it's just signing a petition or getting out to vote this November.

What I sincerely believe that everyone wants, regardless of what side you're on, is to have that wonderful spirit of unity back again, the one that gave us comfort and strength during the other hard times that have confronted us over the years. Also, we need to regain that welcoming spirit for those wanting to make a better life in America,which is the core of our country. Let's make people happy to be part of this country again with a song in our hearts,people:

Going to the movies with Queen

It may be summer movie season but we're still getting some hints of fall film offerings and one of the newest trailers is for Bohemian Rhapsody, a bio-pic of the band Queen and their iconic lead singer Freddie Mercury.

The movie is set for November and honestly, I'm surprised that it took this long to make a Queen movie, especially since their music is incredibly cinematic. Let me give you a neat quartet of fine film examples of that:

FLASH GORDON: Queen created the soundtrack for this now camp classic from 1980, with the theme song "Flash" becoming an international hit on the music charts. The music is what instantly comes to mind when anyone brings up this movie and for good reason; it was well tuned to the overall goofy nature of the film yet enjoyably epic in it's own right:

HIGHLANDER: The band contributed several songs to the 1986 soundtrack for yet another cult favorite,although this one launched a good number of sequels and a TV series.

The songs wound up becoming a separate album for Queen entitled  "A Kind of Magic" and one of them "Princes of the Universe" was not only the theme song for the original film(not to mention the original title!), it was also used for the TV show theme as well.

Granted, I have not seen Highlander(need to do that at some point in the future) but these songs are rather well known to me and countless others. There's just something about Queen that easily lends itself to fantasy and science fiction, a gorgeous operatic vibe that they fully embraced:

SHAUN OF THE DEAD: Appreciating the music of Queen does allow for a sense of humor,thankfully, which is why one of the best sequences in this 2004 "zom-rom-com" is set to one of their songs.

 It helps to have a jukebox set on random in the bar where our human heroes are holed up from the awaiting zombie hoards in order to naturally introduce the song.

 The choice of song was clearly not random as the action in this scene is perfectly timed to "Don't Stop Me Now" from the flickering lights outside to the trio of friends whaling on the now undead owner of the place.

Getting the rights for a song can be tricky,especially for a small movie like this but it was well worth it indeed. There are plenty of great moments in this film but this one is most memorably funny and fun:

WAYNE'S WORLD: There's no way I could do a proper Queen filmography without highlighting this 1992 SNL skit based comedy. Leading man Mike Meyers was bound and determined to use "Bohemian Rhapsody" for the opening credits sequence, to the point of threatening to quit the project.

Fortunately, Freddie Mercury himself was able,despite ill health, to see that scene and give his approval for the song's use. Mercury passed away before the movie's release and that combined with the popularity of the film brought the song back to the record charts, reaching number two in the US alone.

I'm glad that Meyers held fast to having Bohemian Rhapsody for that sequence. It nicely ties into the humor of the characters and makes for a grand entrance for these silly cinematic shenanigans to follow:

As for Bohemian Rhapsody the movie, I'm really looking forward to it. The teaser trailer alone focuses on the music and particularly on their main man, with Rami Malek bearing a striking resemblance to the late great Freddie Mercury.

The musical legacy of Queen is important as this was a group of artists whose talents inspired many and helped to redefine cultural norms, especially for the LGBTQ community. It's rather ironic that many of the people who did(and probably still do) object to their music proudly sing "We Are The Champions" and "We Will Rock You" at sporting events. You know those are Queen songs, right?

Hopefully by the time this movie is in theaters, we'll be seeing a glimmer of hope on the cultural horizons for all. In the meantime, we do have this cinematic tribute to look forward to with infinite pleasure:

My Great American Read: And Then There Were None

The Great American Read series on PBS,which offers readers the chance to vote for their favorite bit of fiction(so far, a million votes have been cast), has inspired me to tackle a few of the nominees for my personal TBR.

Out of that small selection, the first one that I've completed is Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, a classic stand alone from her best known detective fare. It's gone through a few title changes(for good reason) and has been adapted for film,TV, the theater and even a video game!

What inspires so much interest in this sinister story? Well, the set-up is deceptively simple; a group of ten strangers all receive invitations to stay on a remote island off the English shore. Whether for work,play or hidden agenda, each one makes their way over and grows a bit acquainted with their new companions.

On first meeting, each person seems to be the average sort; a former governess, a retired general, a doctor, a judge, a glib rich boy. However, it's not long before you realized that all of them have one thing in common-they all have truly gotten away with murder. Nevertheless, everyone gets along rather well in the beginning:

The amiable mood shifts quickly once a phonograph record is played that announces all of their crimes and ends ominously with "Prisoners at the bar, what do you have to say in your defense?"

As each guest dies, one by one in accordance with an old nursery rhyme(my edition called it "ten little Indians" but I do believe later versions have it as "ten little soldiers.") that is posted in every bedroom and accented by a set of figurines upon the dining room table whose number grows smaller with each death, suspicions and accusations abound.

It's not too long before the remaining guests realize that the person behind all of this is in their very midst. Despite taking what precautions they can and making what alliances are available to them, the death count keeps ticking down and there is no outside help to rescue them:

Agatha Christie wrote in numerous formats but the stage was one of her great loves and that affect shows in the theatrical elements of the story.

From eating their meals together to locking themselves in their bedrooms at night, the closed room tension steadily builds for the dwindling set of characters performing for us on the page.

 One chapter begins by describing the few still there as various creatures in their state of fear; a nervous bird, a twitching tortoise, a wolf flashing his sharp teeth. It's not a question of rooting for someone to survive(all of them are terrible people,trust me) rather, it's more about who is doing this and for what reason? Not to mention how and is anyone else in on this death trap with the secret killer?

Christie really goes full dark on this story, something that for 1939 and a popular woman author was mostly unheard of. She relies on suspension and the careful layering of plot points/misleads to keep the reader following this deadly trail of bread crumbs to it's bitter end. You would think this sounds unbearably bleak yet it's coated with a good amount of intrigue that makes this a truly hard to put down book.

The influence of And Then There Were None can be seen across many genres, some of them satirical and others a light hearted homage. One thing is for certain-Christie certainly did pave the way for other mainstream artists to get as grim as they needed to be:

This is the first Agatha Christie that I've read that doesn't involve either Poirot or Miss Marple and it does inspire me to check out some of her plays as well. Her firm hand at the literary wheel is well established yet it takes being on such a finely tuned thrill ride as this for yourself to make you fully appreciate the art of her craft.

The next book on my GAR list to read is Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, as part of the High Summer readathon that I'm joining in on this July. Looking forward to that and the rest of this particular TBR indeed, except for one that I've already seen the movie version of.

This has certainly been a scary start to my little literary adventure here but it's one that I, unlike the unlucky guests upon the island, made it through all the better for it(the following video is spoiler-ish for those who haven't read this book,you have been warned!):

Red Clocks have chimed for Sci-Fi Summer and a look ahead to some High Summer reading

The Sci-Fi Summer readathon(hosted by Michelle Miller at Seasons of Reading) officially ended the other day but I must confess that I finished up a couple of days early.

Upon completing Red Clocks by Leni Zumas, I wasn't in the proper mood for diving into Margaret Atwood's The Year of the Flood. Don't get me wrong, Red Clocks was good,however going from one scary future scenario into another was perhaps not the best idea.

In Red Clocks, the not too distant future in America has passed a "Personhood Amendment" which outlaws abortion and a host of other new laws from a rather populist president are making other child bearing options difficult for anyone not already in the traditional marriage set-up.

 How the general state of things is affecting women is reflected in four characters starting with Ro, a teacher working on a biography of a forgotten female Arctic explorer and trying to be a single mother before the final legal barrier is slammed down in front of her and then to Mattie, one of her students who finds herself pregnant and is unable to even flee to Canada for an abortion due to the "Pink Wall" at the border.

This quartet is rounded up by Susan,a frustrated housewife wanting to end her miserable marriage but not wanting to make the first move and Gin, an eccentric herbalist accused of a crime she didn't commit.

The story is told in segments, identifying the characters as "The Mender", "The Wife","The Daughter" and "The Biographer"(excepts from the work in progress biography are featured during chapter breaks as well). Granted, it's not the typical liner style but that is a strength rather than a weakness here. Sort of like if Virginia Woolf wrote dystopian lit.

Zumas adds a poetic quality to her prose at times, making the raw unspoken feelings of her leading ladies dance for us on the page. It may not be a beat that everyone can or will groove to yet her writing is powerfully wrought and well worth checking out indeed:

As one readathon ends, the page turns to the next and I'm in the midst of planning my TBR for Seasons of Reading's High Summer, which will be for the entire month of July.

First up is Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok, a mother-daughter tale set in Brooklyn. Kimberly Chang and her mother were able to settle there upon emigrating from Hong Kong before Chinese rule was in full effect.

Kimberly's intellectual gifts enable her to attend a posh private school yet she still helps her mom out at the garment factory, a job that demands twelve hour shifts. While wanting to please her mother yet be a part of the American dream, Kimberly is faced with a myriad of choices that pull her in too many directions to follow.

I've heard great things about this book since it was first published in 2010 and considering the current debate over immigration lately, the time to read this is rather timely. A good novel opens the gateways of compassion and empathy, paths that certain spokespeople clearly are avoiding at all costs. Too bad we can't assign reading to those that truly need it:

Another book in that category that is on my High Summer list is Cristina Henriquez's The Book of Unknown Americans.  This story follows a pair of immigrant families(one from Mexico, the other from Panama) who find themselves neighbors in Delaware and share similar problems adjusting to American life.

Both families have young people who connect with one another; Maribel Rivera, who is recovering from a head injury that motivated her parents to make the move to the US for her sake and Mayor Toro, whose family settled in America sooner than Maribel's yet still struggling to make ends meet.

Their relationship is marked with suspicion by both sets of parents, not to mention the local immigrant community. However, a threat from the outside proves to be much more of a concern to all involved. The praise for this novel has been mighty, to say the least, and should be a good companion to Girl In Translation. More importantly, it will be a good book based upon it's own merits:

Simply for fun, I'm going to try what I'm calling a Double Decker Reread of Northanger Abbey. Yes, the original Jane Austen novel and the Val McDermid modern take on that slim satire will be side by side repeats for me.

Northanger Abbey is a good summer story as it's unlikely heroine Catherine Morland is given a chance to see the world beyond her country mouse life. Granted, she mostly gets as far as Bath but still, that is big city enough!

Learning a few life lessons as well as falling in love, Catherine's journey in NA is pretty much the mold for many a young lady's coming of age tale, from Dirty Dancing to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants(okay, I didn't see TSOTTP but still,...).

Out of the four retellings slated for The Austen Project, Val McDermid's version of Austen's posthumous mock Gothic novel was a real success, along side Curtis Settenfeld's Eligible.  I did read all four books and only two are worth going back for more, in my opinion.

McDermid does keep to the original framework but updates wisely such as sending her Cat Morland to the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, which sounds amazing to behold! Bath is a lovely place to visit(yes, I've been there) but the social scene these days is very much different from Austen's time. This will be a nice staycation read to be sure:

I still have time to prepare for High Summer, so a few more books will be added on to this particular pile before the calendar page has to be changed there. Also need to finish up a few other reads as well. Those TBR piles do seem to have a life of their own at times, don't they? Oh, well, at least it's a friendly form of life that gives as much as it gets... or does it?!:

Some new mystery treats with old fashioned flavor for your summer reading

Summer reading is the perfect excuse for indulging in a few of your favorite genres and mystery is the ultimate classic comfort food for any literary menu.

By mystery, I mean a good old fashioned whodunit and/or a story length skein of scheming to be unwound by a very wily detective type. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the challenge of a plot twisting thriller or a slyly done suspense tale but sometimes, you just want a solid bit of sleuthing to follow.

A prime example of that is The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey, an author whose has won several awards for her Rei Shimura mysteries. This new series takes us to Bombay in 1921, where Perveen Mistry is the first female lawyer in the city as well as one of the first in India during that time period.

Her work at her father's law firm brings Perveen to a case involving the inheritance of a trio of widows, whom she suspects are being cheated out of their full share of their mutual husband's money,possibly at the hands of the trustee. As she pursues the matter, a murder occurs that only confirms her concerns but raises the stakes that much higher.

Word of mouth has been excellent for this book, which inspired me to reserve it at the library(I'll be picking it up this week!), along with critical acclaim and here's hoping that we are only at the beginning of a beautiful friendship with Perveen Mistry:

When it comes to modern mystery writers with a flair for the old school, Ruth Ware's name crops up quite often and for good reason. Her latest fare, The Death of Mrs. Westaway, is a blend of Agatha Christie plotting with Daphne du Maurier atmosphere.

Harriet "Hal" Westaway simply goes through the motions of tarot card reading in order to make some sort of living, not to mention pay off a persistent loan shark. When a letter from an attorney arrives on her doorstep that says her previously unknown to her grandmother has died, Hal is suspicious but willing to see if she can claim some of what sounds like a nice big inheritance.

Upon reaching the family estate of Trepassen House, Hal finds herself among several unwelcoming uncles, plus a sinister housekeeper to boot. She also stumbles upon an old legend about a former resident or rather captive of Trepassen that could lead to the truth about her place in this family but not without some dire consequences to possibly pay.

I did read Ware's acclaimed The Woman in Cabin 10 and it was a cracking good read, as they say. The Death of Mrs. Westaway promises to be just that with a hint of next level writing that advances her literary game:

If these hardy hardcovers may not seem to fit snugly in your beach bag, you do have the option of a worthy paperback as Anthony Horowitz's Magpie Murders is now readily available in that format.

When editor Susan Ryland finds herself enthralled by the new Atticus Pund mystery manuscript from contentious author Mark Conroy, she is shocked to discover that the last half of the book is missing.

Upon contacting her boss about this, Susan learns that Mark Conroy has just died, leaving more than one unsolved mystery behind him. In searching for the rest of the book as well as the truth, she becomes all too aware of some hidden secrets that could be more dangerous than any foe the fictional Atticus Pund ever faced.

This was one of the best books that I read last year and if you've been waiting for the paperback release, your patience will be well rewarded indeed:

Whatever genre you choose to dive into this summer season, a good book is your best bet against any glitches in your entertainment system. If the wi-fi is down, along with the cable and your battery level is low, all you need is a little bit of light and a savvy storyteller to keep the page turning party going :

Some fantastic YA reads that are making my Sci-Fi Summer soar

The first week of the Seasons of Reading  Sci-Fi Summer has ended and with one more to go, I'm happy to report that half of the books on this particular TBR pile are nearly done.

In the first weekend, I was able to finish Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone, the first in her YA fantasy series entitled The Legacy of Orisha. Orisha is the mythical West African kingdom that our leading lady Zelie lives, a country that used to know and respect magic until King Saran found a way to break the mystical connection that those who practiced it(known as Diviners) needed.

Zelie's mother was among the many adult Diviners executed by royal decree and even though she possesses the flowing white hair that marks her as a being of power, she and many other are unable to activate their magic. Thus, they and their loved ones lead lives of despair, called "maggots" by those in power who overtax,harass and find a way to send them into enforced labor.

While Zelie despairs of ever living a peaceful life as well as keeping her father and brother Tzain from suffering for her mistakes, an unexpected run-in at a local marketplace leads her down a path that could bring magic back to Orisha. She winds up protecting Princess Amari, who witnessed the death of her only friend,Binta who was also a Diviner, at the cruel hands of her father.

Amari steals a forbidden scroll that ignites the untapped magic of any Diviner who touches it and Zelie's powers rise to the forefront, inspiring her to give her people the same ability to defend themselves from oppression:

The journey is far from easy, as two other sacred items are needed to perform a renewal ceremony on a remote island during the next solstice. If they do not make it in time, that opportunity is lost for good.

Zelie,along with Amari and Tzain, face many obstacles along the way from potential friends and enemies alike,including Prince Inan who finds himself changed by this pursuit of his sister in more ways than one.

Adeyemi's debut novel is vividly written, bringing these characters and their beautifully wrought world to nearly 3-D life, highlighting the glory and the peril of their harrowing quest. She also wisely uses a multi-character narrative to showcase the emotional impact and growth that Zelie, Amari and Inan experience through the course of the story. The family connections, particularly between the two sets of siblings, are key to the heart of the motivations both for and against magic, adding a good dose of complexity to the mystical elements here.

This is truly a stay-up-all-night type book, the kind that you have to make yourself stop reading in order to get some sleep,eat or do anything else in the real world. A second book is set for 2019 and it's going to be hard to wait for it, particularly with that cliffhanger of an ending! Yet, I shall be patient, I promise.

Word of mouth has been wonderful for Children of Blood and Bone, not to mention critical acclaim as well, which is vital for any new YA fantasy series to stand out amongst the numerous ones on the shelves. It's also hoped that this series will pave the way for other fantasy stories not set in the usual Western culture realm.

Based on it's own merits, I would love it if Orisha became just as potent a fictional locale as Hogwarts for readers of all generations and then some. Time will tell but I do believe in the magic of writing and Tomi Adeyemi is quite the enchanting practitioner of the pen indeed:

After I finished that, I went right to Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl. I'm familiar with her earlier intended-for-adults work such as Night Film but this is her first novel in the Young Adult category and it's pretty good so far.

Our heroine is Beatrice, who is still not over the mysterious death of her boyfriend Jim and impulsively decides to reunite with their mutual boarding school friends a year later. Upon attending a concert at a nearby bar, she and her pals wind up in a car accident and land in the title realm, a purgatory of sorts.

They are informed by a strange man who calls himself The Keeper that they are caught in this eleven hour time frame until a group decision is made about which one of them will return to the living world.

Their reactions are varied, with wild girl Whitley acting out her frustrations through violent fits and teaming up with partner in crime Cannon for some "we can do anything we want" hijinks while Southern charmer Kipling and moody Martha seek out their own personal escapes from this seeming eternal reality on repeat.

 Beatrice tries to deny this limbo trap for awhile as well but ultimately comes to the conclusion that what will make the final vote for survival decisive is finding out the truth about Jim's death:

I'm close to the finish line with this book and it's quite the engaging read. Pessl offers up some interesting observations about the nature of reality along with dealing the consequences of keeping secrets and true feelings hidden.

This is the kind of book I would imagine Rory Gilmore reading and passing on to her friends(Paris would hate it but in the end, side with Martha's scheming there). Whether or not you're a Gilmore Girls fan, Neverworld Wake is a solid riveting tale of otherworldly reckonings and I am eager to see how this story eventually ends:

I should be done with Neverworld Wake before the weekend is over, allowing me more time with such adult lit fare as Red Clocks by Leni Zumas and Margaret Atwood's The Year of the Flood to complete my readathon goals. I am in the midst of Red Clocks at the moment and since it's a library book, the need to finish it is imminent.

This science fiction/fantasy reading is a good way to kick off the summer season and it's also a good way to discover that not all stories in these genres are in need of the same old,same old style. A compelling character with a mission of the heart is always the best bet for a great story in any literary realm:

Putting on the Brits for Bad Movie Month

It's become a tradition here at LRG to make August the home of Bad Movie Month,  where each week, I highlight a "why did I spend my money on this?" flick to see just how badly it failed.

Our theme this year is "Badly Done,Brits!",featuring some of my favorite English actors and sadly, I'm doubling down on a true personal favorite, Colin Firth.

Mind you, he is and was one of the best Mr. Darcys to be found in a Pride and Prejudice adaptation, not to mention an engaging talent in other films from The King's Speech to Kingsmen. However, he has made his fair share of cinematic clunkers and that includes both of the Bridget Jones sequels.

Bridget Jones:The Edge of Reason is actually based on a second book about the title character by Helen Fielding(which the third movie both is and is not, which I'll get to shortly) yet most of the movie simply tries to rehash what audiences liked in the original movie.

It completely abandons the plot threads that were based on Jane Austen's Persuasion from the source material, settling for slapstick of all sorts from Bridget tumbling down a ski slope to Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver reprising their fight outdoors in a public fountain(which is soggy in more ways than one). I do happen to own this movie but rarely watch it,except of course to do my blogger duty by reliving this sad story slump:

After that, I'll be checking out the fresh hell of Bridget Jones's Baby, which has a pretty complicated set-up before the cameras started to roll.

The studio had been trying for years to get a third movie going but with no agreement on script but did agree not to use Helen Fielding's third Bridget book, Mad About the Boy, because(spoiler alert 1) she kills off Mark Darcy, a decision that many fans were decidedly against.

Well, the movie (spoiler alert 2) kills off Hugh Grant's character instead and has Bridget getting pregnant and having to figure whether her former love Mark or new American romance Jack(yes, that's McDreamy himself!) is the father. Weirdly enough, Fielding wrote a fourth book called Bridget Jones's Baby: The Diaries where(spoiler alert 3), Daniel Cleaver is still alive! Quite the alternate reality there,to say the least.

Sure, the movie that they did finally make doesn't sound too horrible at first but the trailer alone gives this turn of events such a textbook sitcom vibe that I might be better off watching that two part episode of Friends where the gang goes to London for Ross' wedding. Even with Emma Thompson on board, I have a bad feeling about this:

Meanwhile, Hugh Grant managed to escape the realm of Bridget Jones yet not another bad romantic comedy. While Did You Hear About the Morgans? was made back in 2009, perhaps this stale story sandwich should have had Grant seriously  reconsider being Daniel Cleaver again a few years later.

He and Sarah Jessica Parker play a New York power couple on the verge of divorce due to Grant's infidelity(insert past scandal joke here). When the Morgans just happen to witness a mob related murder, it's off to Wyoming they go to deal with red state stereotypes!

Yeah, those seem like the good old days at this point but that doesn't excuse this movie from lame "let's fall in love again in this quaint country setting" routines and Hugh exiting, pursued by a bear:

For a bit of the old school, we turn to Michael Caine, whose list of bad movies is as nearly as long as his good ones. To go even further back, I'm signing up for 1979's Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, a disaster movie sequel that has no equal!

Caine plays a tugboat captain who, along with Sally Field and Carl Malden, sets off to salvage the sunken luxury liner while running into another salvage crew run by Telly Savalas looking to loot some plutonium and dealing with ship survivors Peter Boyle,Shirley Knight and Slim Pickens. Yes, this is what they use to call "Love Boat casting" and for good reason.

This movie did so badly that the idea for a third one was shelved(and later became the premise of the Sylvester Stallone movie Daylight!). Michael Caine did make plenty of over the top epics in that era and this promises to be some good old fashioned snarky fun:

An additional movie may be included later, in honor of my sister's birthday that month(we shall see) but I do hope that my fellow British actor fans can find a few laughs to share with this list. As much as we delight in that stiff upper lip, our English gents are not above being caught out in their goofy movie moments there:

Getting the gift of bookish giveways

As any reader who finds themselves online knows, a good giveaway is only a click away. Much like the public lottery, you have to be in it to win it but the lack of return on your time investment can make one reluctant to keep those entries going.

However, when you do win, the joys can be bountiful indeed. At the moment, I just started reading the newest Paula McLain novel,Love and Ruin, thanks to being one of the ten lucky folks at First Look Book Club that won a copy the other week.

This book is a companion of sorts to McLain's surprise success,The Paris Wife, by looking at another wife of acclaimed author Ernest Hemingway. The focus here is on Martha Gellhorn, a journalist and writer in her own right who met Hemingway while he was still married to his second wife,Pauline.

Martha was determined not to get involved with him but they ran into each other while covering the Spanish Civil War and their shared literary passion turned into something more. Despite her deep feelings for Ernest, Martha did her best to remain an independent person, even to the point of making her own choices about the future of their relationship.

I've always found Gellhorn to be the most intriguing of the Hemingway wives,due to her writing prowess and strength of spirit,which makes me thrilled to have a novel devoted to her to enjoy. The Paris Wife inspired me to do a whole year of reading Hemingway, so let's see what this book will bring out in me:

Meanwhile, I have back-to-back Early Reviewer books on my TBR, courtesy of Library Thing and their monthly drawings.

First up is You Think It, I'll Say It, a collection of short stories by novelist Curtis Sittenfeld. Her set of ten tales touch on contemporary topics such as the last major political election but the emotions that her characters deal with are timeless struggles.

For example, the leading lady of "The World has Many Butterflies" discovers that her partner in mockery of their social set is not on the same page as her while "The Prairie Wife" considers revealing a secret that could damage the career of a former love from her teen years. A storm of resentment builds up to a head in "Volunteers are Shining Stars" as a woman who helps out at a local shelter grows to hate the newest volunteer for her upbeat ways.

I'm familiar with Sittenfeld's work and do like her brisk tone and insightful nature towards her characters, so checking out her short stories should be fun. Reese Witherspoon chose this book as her May reading selection, which is another good sign. I really don't do the whole celebrity book club deal but Witherspoon does have really great instincts when it comes to picking a fine read there:

The other book is by an author whom I've never read before but have heard good things about. The Secret of the Irish Castle by Santa Montefiore is actually the third in a trilogy called the Deverill Chronicles and takes place in Dublin of 1939.

The plot follows three women, all of which are connected to the Deverill family, some in unexpected ways. Martha arrives from America to find her biological mother and winds up falling for the dashing JP Deverill, who happens to know all too well about her mother.

The current mistress of Castle Deverill, Birdie, aka Countess di Marcantonio, is determined to make this home and new social position a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, those efforts are undermined by the wandering eye of her husband Cesare. Meanwhile,  Kitty Deverill appears content with her husband and children yet the reappearance of a former lover (who is in love with someone else) puts that familial bliss strongly to the test.

Granted, this being the third book in a series make it a bit daunting but I suspect that not reading the earlier titles won't be a problem(the original UK title of this one is The Last Secret of the Deverills, changed to appeal to a new audience,one would suppose). At any rate, this does sound like my cup of storytelling tea and taking a sip of this most recent brew ought to be fine indeed:

While you can't always rely on book giveaways to build up your TBR, they are great for providing those extra bookish bonuses to your reading list. At the very least, a book won this way does help you to save a little money from your book buying budget and allow you to dine on something more substantial than what's on sale at the supermarket. Page turning requires properly fed energy,after all!:

Packing up a beach bag of Sci Fi Summer reads

For most people, the real start to summer will be the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend but for me, a new tradition is issuing in that time of year.

The third annual Sci-Fi Summer readathon, hosted by Seasons of Reading, gives us two weeks to dive into a more fanciful state of mind with a genre that's given much attention at the movies and elsewhere this season.

From June 1 to June 14, seeing how many science fiction and/or fantasy novels you can finish is a good way to jump start your overall summer reading plans. I have three books set aside for this challenge, with two of them more in the fantasy lane and the other much closer to sci-fi land than the author claims(more on that in a moment). Three may sound small yet there's a lot of creative ground to cover with my selections and I want to do this at a reasonable pace:

CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE: This debut YA novel by Tomi Adeyemi is already gathering heaps of praise and a growing fan base from the first entry in her Legacy of Orisha trilogy(book two is due in 2019).

Our leading lady is Zelie, a young woman born with white hair that signals her inherent magical powers. Those abilities have not been activated due to a massive wipe-out of magic and it's users by Orisha's King Saran, a deadly crusade that killed Zelie's mother.

With the help of a runaway princess, Zelie goes on a quest to reclaim magic for her people, using a trio of ancient artifacts that need to be brought together in time for an upcoming solstice in order to work. This story does sound amazingly engaging and it would be nice to have a brand new fandom to join as well:

 NEVERWORLD WAKE: Marisha Pessl is best known for her off the beaten track and then some novels for adults such as Night Film but this new turn into YA country sounds like it would fit in well with her regular fare.

Our story begins with Beatrice, who joins in with her former boarding school buddies for a road trip to a concert. The group get into an accident and find themselves stranded in a remote locale that doesn't allow them to go back to their lives.

A mysterious Keeper informs them that they are meant to remain in this otherworldly realm until a decision is made about who should be permitted to return home. This might be seen as a bit of horror mixed in with fantasy,I suppose, yet this Happy Death Day/Groundhog's Day combo does give the characters plenty of time for self reflection and change which tips the scales more over to fantasy, I think.

THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD: This is the second book in Margaret Atwood's Maddam trilogy that she swears up and down is not science fiction. While I respect the author's intentions, I do think that the lady doth protest a bit much on this one.

She sets this tale in a not too distant future, where corporations and runaway technology have brought the world to a near complete halt. Three people, two of which belonged to a cult called The Gardeners, managed to find each other and seek refuge from what threats remain in this strange new environment.

Atwood insists that she's not writing science fiction here(not wanting to disappoint anyone expecting the typical genre fare) yet she does touch upon plenty of themes that echo strongly throughout sci-fi, such as over reliance upon technology, the misuse of religion and playing havoc with genetic discoveries.

I was amazed by how relevant Oryx and Crake was to our present day concerns and pretty sure that this second outing will be just as surprisingly thought provoking as well:

There is still plenty of time to sign up and you can follow along at Facebook and Twitter(#SciFiJune). If I get some of this reading done sooner than expected, I might add an extra title or two on. Picking up a good book is the best way to beat the heat and science fiction is a good reminder to us all that truth really can get stranger than fiction, especially these days:

A tidy little TBR for your summer movie season

We're getting pretty close to summer time reading and movie watching,which can only be made better by combining those two pleasant pastimes in a most delightful way.

So let us take a look at a few of the film adaptations due out over the impending dog days and with most of this list being set for late July/August release, there's plenty of time to catch up on these engaging reads.

First up is The Bookshop, based on Penelope Fitzgerald's cult classic novel. Emily Mortimer stars as Florence Green, an English widow who decides to open up the title establishment in a small Suffolk town in 1959.

Her shop struggles for awhile, with only the reclusive Mr. Brundish(Bill Nighy) as her best customer. However, with the release of a controversial new book, Florence gets more business and attention than she ever expected, along with the wrath of local matron Mrs. Gamart(Patricia Clarkson). I fondly remember reading this book years ago,with it's bittersweet book lover charms and this film promises to be a page turning treat on screen as well:

Next, Glenn Close plays The Wife,based on the 2003 novel by Meg Wolitzer. She is Joan Castleman, married to renowned author Joe Castleman(Jonathan Pryce) who has just won the Nobel Prize.

During their trip to claim the prize, Joan gets some time to reflect upon her relationship with Joe, who she first met while in college and he was already married to someone else. That affair changed the course of her life and now she's wondering if the things that she had to give up for him were worth it.

Oscar buzz is building for Close to get a Best Actress nomination from this film and while summer movies do get lost in the movie awards rush, she may very well make this role that memorable. Should be a very timely movie to watch regardless:

If you're in the mood for some YA sci-fi storytelling, the first book in Alexandra Bracken's The Darkest Minds series will be hitting the big screen this summer.

Our heroine is Ruby(Amandla Stenberg), one of the few American teens who has survived a brutal plague that wiped out a good portion of her generation. However, she and the others who lived have developed super powers,which causes the government to lock them away in internment camps.

Trying to restrain these kids is not as easy as that, with Ruby and several of her fellow prisoners breaking out to start up a rebellion. I have not heard of this particular book series before but the trailer does look promising and while this genre is not as strong as it once was at the movies, this might be fun to check out:

The book based movie that I'm really looking forward to this season is Crazy Rich Asians, the first of Kevin Kwan's trilogy of novels that follows the adventures of several families brought together by an unexpected romance.

When American born Chinese Rachel Chu(Constance Wu) gets the chance to meet the relatives of her serious boyfriend Nick Young(Henry Golding) at a wedding in Singapore, she is surprised to learn that his family is insanely wealthy and that Nick is the heir apparent to their expansive empire.

Rachel cares more about connecting with his family, especially her potential mother-in-law Eleanor(Michelle Yeoh), than Nick's financial expectations. However, plenty of obstacles are thrown in her path by Eleanor and others, hoping to steer Nick into the social lane that has set up for him. Before long, both Nick and Rachel have to decide whether or not to hold onto their love or at least put up a good fight for it.

These books are wonderful romantic comedies with a good dollop of soap opera drama rounding them out and I hope that this movie does well enough to get us those two sequels already written and then some:

Finding good books and movies is tricky at any time of the year but summer can be the worst. Yet, when those entertaining adaptations come your way, simply rejoice in the pop culture glow of discovery. The only downside is debating those inevitable book-to-screen changes but that's much better than arguing over which big movie let you down the most:

Is Avengers:Infinity War the ultimate in supervillian stories?

Marvel is certainly having a good year and then some as their big crossover film Avengers:Infinity War is raking in huge box office numbers and plenty of fan love,despite the mixed emotions regarding the ending.

While those conflicts will be more or less settled when the next Avengers movie arrives in 2019, one major element of this chapter of the MCU that everyone agrees upon is the character arch of Thanos,the Big Bad here, is incredibly strong. Many have said that he's practically the leading man,given the depths to which he went to achieve his goal of balancing the universe by wiping out half the population and the personal price that was paid.

Without spoiling anything for those who haven't seen AIF yet, I do think that casting Josh Brolin as Thanos was a key element in providing some of that extra nuance to the character. True, Thanos was mostly CGI but Brolin's facial expressions were used onscreen and his vocal inflections gave a solid grounding to lines that could have been easily turned to cinematic cheddar by a lesser performer.

The overall writing for this crisscrossing storyline was tricky to say the least but they did pull it off and brought audiences to tears at the risk of turning them off,which I applaud them for. The fact that a villain like Thanos wasn't presented as another one note monster to be destroyed speaks volumes about the respect given to the source material and fans alike:

Marvel is certainly doing right by their villains lately as Thanos is the second most talked about fictional bad guy of the year.

Eric Killmonger from Black Panther made his presence known from his first scene and as the film went on, the motivations for his vendetta against Wakanda and the royal family became clear and at times, sympathetic as well.

It was a plus that Black Panther's origins were already showcased in Captain America: Civil War,allowing for Killmonger to have his story fully fleshed out and this has become a star making role for Michael B. Jordan and rightly so. I find it interestingly ironic that both Chris Evans(Captain America) and Jordan each played Johnny Storm in the most recent Fantastic Four movies and yet became better known actors when cast in different MCU films.

Killmonger has been proclaimed as the one to break "the Marvel curse" of boring bad guys and it does certainly seem to be so. A hero is only as good and as compelling as their villain after all:

However, are these superhero films the only time that the villain has been seen as the lead? Not in my opinion and I go as far back as Batman Returns in 1992.

Like Black Panther and Avengers, highlighting the bad guys was made easier by this being an origin story sequel and in the case of Batman Returns, the main villains were portrayed by big name stars, Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito.

The pre-credit opening of the film started off with The Penguin being abandoned by his wealthy parents as a child, leading into the prominent plot lines revolving around his desire for revenge on the upper class of society that rejected him. Granted, Penguin got slightly sidetracked by reluctant ally Max Shreck(who also played a key role in creating Catwoman) into playing politics but got back around to wanting to wipe out the innocent in time for the big finale.

 Meanwhile, Catwoman came to life upon being shoved out of a window, being reborn from mousy secretary/personal assistant to sardonically sassy feline queen of the night.

 Her target for payback may have gone from Shreck to Batman at certain moments but like her temporary aquatic partner in crime, swung back to that true enemy for the end game.

Granted, there was a lot of camp mixed into these performances(especially Penguin) but neither one of them came off as completely cartoony. Also, they did leave a lasting impression on these roles. Apart from the TV series Gotham, there has not been a live action version of Penguin in any of the major Batman films since '92 and when it comes to Catwoman, Pfeiffer is still the standard bearer for that character on film and television.

In addition to that, DC hasn't really been successful in teaming up Batman villains since then, with the exception of the Joker and Two Face in The Dark Knight(you could argue that it's more like the Joker creates Two Face in that movie than an actual team-up). That is a shame since Batman's Rogues' Gallery has numerous foes to mix and match for future films and as we saw in Batman Returns, the right pair of wrong doers can be fiendish fun to watch:

Several years later, we were introduced to Mr. Glass in the comic book inspired but not based on film Unbreakable.  His true name was Elijah Price, a man born with a rare condition that made his bones excessively brittle.

As the owner of a high end comic book story, it only seemed fitting that he would be the one to discover the super heroic abilities of train crash survivor David Dunn. Along the way, we learned more about Price's personal struggles and his mentoring of Dunn, both of which made him a strong and sympathetic character.

Unfortunately by the end of the story, we learned his true motivation for finding someone like David and were just as heartbroken as his new found friend was. Having Samuel L. Jackson as Mr. Glass and Bruce Willis as Dunn,two actors who have great chemistry together, really brought the emotional pain to the forefront for that crucial last scene.

We will get a chance to see these character reunite,thanks to a brief cameo in last year's Split from David Dunn, and I for one am eager to see how Mr. Glass does in a movie that could showcase his true potential for out and out villainy:

So, are we going to have more nuanced villains in comic book films from here on out? I certainly hope so, as long as such characters are well balanced with equally compelling heroes. Moving the scale over too far for either side is not good for anyone.

This particular genre has had more than it's fair share of ups and downs yet it does manage to bounce back by finding a fresh new angle to approach the familiar framework from. So far, we're on the right track with Thanos and Killmonger and with any luck, our next villain of the story will be just as game changing for both hero and audience alike:

Catching up with Jeremy Poldark on my Series-ous Reading 2 tour

In doing another year of Series-ous Reading, I have to remind myself that it's the journey not the destination that needs to be focused on.

While my ultimate goal is to finish Stephen King's Dark Tower books, I'm also catching up with the Poldark series by Winston Graham and hit a bit of a rough patch.

For the most part, my reading of Jeremy Poldark took longer than expected which peeves me quite much due to it being a short book. What with taking part in a readathon, keeping up with my library TBR and other distractions, I just managed to finish it up the other day.

I really shouldn't complain(goodness knows there are worse things to fuss about) but I did expect to be further along with my challenge by now. It does help that I am a fan of the latest PBS adaptation(which is how I got into these books in the first place) and gained a solid familiarity with the plot lines in this third entry of the series.

The bare bones of the plot have Ross on trial for assault,Demelza wondering if she should let him know about her pregnancy(due to their shared yet separate sorrow over the death of their first child Julia) and the sneaky behind the scenes scheming of George Warleggan. Instead of recapping the entire book, my write-up today will look at the three female characters that caught most of my attention this time around:

DEMELZA: She really goes through the emotional wringer in this book; between worrying about Ross going to jail(or worse), having another child so soon after Julia's passing and dealing with the decreasing family finances, Demelza has so much on her plate that it's close to spilling over the edge.

Yet, she manages to not let herself sink into total despair and is a woman of action. Using her considerable charms and nerves of steel, Demelza tries to do what she can for Ross during his trial by attempting to speak with the judge(something that she's criticized for by some but calls out their upper class hypocrisy when it comes to influence).

 Eventually when she does tell Ross about the upcoming baby, it's due to concern over him getting involved with local smugglers(for which he complains about her taking his prior comments about not wanting children too seriously-hey, buddy, some of that is your own fault!). As to their money woes, it's her idea to sell what they can, including the brooch that Ross gave her along with a fancy dress that she figures will be useless for farm work.

Honestly, she is way too good for Ross despite what most of his social peers think. Granted, many of the men are too busy leering at her to consider her as more than a pretty face but the double whammy on Demelza is class as well as gender.

 Both she and the hated George Warleggan come from humble beginnings yet he is granted much more respect for his intelligence and advancement in society than she ever would be in those days(which is sadly still relevant today):

CAROLINE: This self satisfied heiress makes her debut in this book, arriving to stay with her Uncle Ray while possibly considering marriage with an up and coming peer. However, upon meeting Dr. Dwight Enys, Caroline only has eyes and a list of commands for him.

I really don't like Caroline on the show(not the fault of the actress) and feel the same way about her in print form as well. Her flippant attitude towards others and those "let them eat cake" notions about the poor,along with the expectation that her wishes will be instantly obeyed truly annoy me.

She reminds me so much of Mary Crawford in Mansfield Park, another character I don't like either. While both ladies do have tendencies to do better by others(mainly to attract positive attention from their intended love interests), their overall entitlement is like nails on a chalk board for me. To be fair, Caroline has a better redemption arch than Mary but I can not warm to her at all:

VERITY: She's one of my favorites in this series and for good reason. In this book alone, Verity gives Demelza serious emotional support during Ross' trial, attempts to reconnect with her foolish brother Francis and deals with meeting her husband's two grown  children while he's at sea.

She has such a generous spirit and firm loyalty to those she loves, which almost made it impossible for her to marry Captain Blamey, that she is barely appreciated for it. Fortunately, her husband does know what a fine soul she is and eventually, so does Francis but not without some help from Ross. Any time Verity is around, my heart soars and I suspect that I'm not the only one:

Well, I do look forward to reading the next book in the Poldark saga(Warleggan) soon but for now, I must travel The Waste Lands with King and company. I've made a good start there and should be able to keep a brisk pace as my Series-ous Reading moves along.

What I truly need to do is balance out my To Be Read piles, which is easier said than done. So many good books and only so much time as they say.....:

Getting some Evil Under the Sun and a deadly cup of coffee to finish up my Spring Into Horror

Another round of Spring Into Horror is officially over and while I didn't get to read all of the books on that particular TBR pile, my progress was pretty good there.

For one, I finished three Agatha Christie novels, the last of them being Evil Under the Sun. This Hercule Poirot tale has the good detective staying at a remote seaside resort, where the only other notable guest is Arlena Marshall, a former actress.

Arlena is quite the determined flirt, even with her husband and stepdaughter by her side, and to all appearances is carrying on an affair with Patrick Redfern, a young newlywed whose frail looking wife Christine is managing not to give into jealousy.

However, when Arlena is found strangled to death on a deserted beach, Patrick seems to have a solid alibi due to being the person who discovered her body along with a neutral witness. While there are plenty of suspects to choose from, everyone seems determined to exclude any of the women at the resort despite the majority of them despising the victim more so than the men:

Eventually, that male-female balance in attitude towards Arlena lends itself to the identity of the killer,which is both obvious and surprising at the same time.

This is a much lighter Poirot story compared to the other two that I read recently and I have to say that my expectations were raised up rather high for it, mostly because the 1982 film adaptation starring Peter Ustinov is one that I'm very fond of.

Naturally, there are some changes from the book(with the main details of the mystery remaining intact) yet the film condenses certain characters and rewrites others to fit more into the show business connections of Arlena's past.

Don't get me wrong, the book itself has enough of it's own charms to recommend it. It's just that I did wish at times that the some of the delightful cattiness that the movie has had come from the source material. Perhaps I should check out the BBC Poirot series version as well(and yes, that one has changes,too). Nonetheless, Evil Under the Sun is fine beach reading,which is what Christie probably intended it to be all along:

On the other hand, I got quickly well acquainted with the coffeehouse world of Clare Cosi in Dead to the Last Drop as it was my first time reading any of Cleo Coyle's cozily caffeinated mystery series.

Here, Clare travels from New York to Washington D.C. in order to check out the new Village Blend restaurant/jazz club setting up shop. Turns out she has plenty to deal, including an arrogant chef, the shy daughter of the current (fictional)POTUS joining the local jazz band and a mysterious death of a customer with government ties.

In addition to all of that, her police detective boyfriend Mike Quinn is working nearby with a government task force and having serious suspicions about his boss, a lady who is also trying to seduce him to her side to boot. Clare is not cool with that yet keeps her natural fury on the down low,even when Mike gets a little jealous of her ex-husband stopping by for a major event at the Village Blend:

However, most of that fuss is put on the back burner when Mike arrives unexpectedly one night at the cafe to hit the road with Clare. His hurry is due to the president's daughter missing and presumed to be kidnapped, with Clare seen as a major suspect in the case.

Granted, this does sound a little over the top but Coyle grounds the multiple story lines with solid characters whose emotional connection you instantly feel.  It's a sure sign of strong writing when the fifteenth book in a series makes you as welcome as a coffeehouse regular and want to order a another cup of this delightful mystery brew:

Despite not tackling every book on my list, I am happy with the progress that I made. I finished five books(should be six as soon as I completed the last of A is for Alibi) and made a slight dent in The Terror,which is an amazingly great TV series that I've kept up with much better.

My thanks to Michelle Miller and company for making this literary spring celebration a fabulously fun time and looking forward to Sci-Fi Summer in June. In the meanwhile, I've gotten a taste for Joanne Fluke's pastry themed mysteries and it helps to have a few sweets on hand while solving cookie crimes with Hannah Swenson, I've found: